Electrical connection clip



P 1956 E. H. DE CONINGH ETAL 2,762,028

' ELECTRICAL CONNECTION CLIP Filed May 16, 1955 16 g INVENTORS fan =0 H. De Camus/l.

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United States Patent ELECTRICAL CONNECTION CLIP Edward H. de Coningh, Shaker Heights, and Alfred A. Flynn, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, assignors to Mueller Electric Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a partnership Application May 16, 1955, Serial No. 508,612

3 Claims. (Cl. 339-255) This invention relates to an electrical connecting clip of the clamping jaw type.

An object of the invention is to provide an electrical connecting clip of the clamping jaw type which is simple in construction, can be readily and inexpensively manufactured and assembled, consists of a minimum number of parts and is efficient in operation.

Another object is to provide an electrical connecting clip of the type referred to wherein no separate pivot pin is required and the two clamping jaw members of the clip have interengaging cooperating integral portions serving as the pivot between the members and also serving as a mounting for the spring of the clip.

A further object is to provide an electrical connecting clip as referred to above and wherein one of the jaw members is formed to provide a thumb engaging portion which, in addition to its usual function, also acts as a locating surface for one end of the spring of the clip.

Further and additional objects and advantages not hereinbefore referred to will become apparent hereinafter during the detailed description of several embodiments of the invention which is to follow and which embodiments are illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming part of the specification and wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view on an enlarged scale of an electrical connecting clip embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view somewhat in perspective of the electrical connecting clip shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the lower jaw member of the electrical connecting clip shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and shows the condition of this member prior to the assembly of the upper member therewith.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view showing the upper jaw member with the spring positioned therein arranged relative to the lower jaw member just prior to the final assembly and operative interconnection of the two jaw members.

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially on line 55 of Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows, and

Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view through an electrical connecting clip embodying the invention but differing in form somewhat from the clip previously illustrated, the spring of the modified clip being shown in elevation.

The electrical connecting clip embodying the present invention is of the pivoted jaw type and is so constructed that it can be readily and inexpensively manufactured and assembled and consists of relatively few parts. The invention, although not limited thereto, is particularly applicable to the smaller sizes of electrical connecting clips which due to their minuteness are difiicult to assemble, particularly as regards the proper insertion of the usual pivot pin and the locking of such pin in position.

The electrical connecting clip comprises a lower jaw member 10 and an upper jaw member 11. The lower jaw member 10 is substantially channel shape throughout its length as it is provided with side walls 12 and 13. The lower jaw 10 preferably is made from a metal stamping and tapers in width from its rear end toward its jaw portion end where it is provided with teeth 14.

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The rear end of the lower jaw 10 has a tongue 15 extending a short distance therefrom and provided on its side edges with prongs 16. The electrical conductor (not shown) is secured to the lower jaw 10 by being clamped to the tongue 15 by the prongs 16 as will be well understood with the non-insulated end of the wire of the conductor secured in the opening 17 formed in the lower jaw member. I

The walls 12 and 13 of the lower jaw member intermediate their ends are provided with ears 18 and 19 which prior to the assembly of the two jaw members are bent outwardly as shown in Fig. 3 and 4. The ears 18 and 19 are inwardly displaced or punched to provide integral cylindrical portions 20 of the ears for a purpose later to become apparent.

The upper jaw member 11 is substantially channelshaped, being disposed to face toward the channel-shaped lower jaw member 10. The upper jaw member 11 is provided with substantially parallel side walls 21 and has at its forward end a jaw portion provided with teeth 22 cooperating with the teeth 14 of the jaw portion of the lower jaw member. The walls 21 of the upper jaw member 11 are provided intermediate their ends with cars 23 and said ears have aligned openings 24 formed therein and which are of a size to receive the inwardly displaced portions 20 in the ears of the lower jaw member.

The rear end of the upper jaw member is formed to provide a thumb portion 25. As already stated, the upper and lower jaw members can be economically manufac-.

tured by simple stamping and punching operations. Likewise, these two members can be secured together, and the spring operatively positioned between them by an easy assembly operation now to be explained.

The lower jaw member 10 and the upper jaw member 11 are positioned together as indicated in Fig. 4 before the cars 18 and 19 of the lower jaw member have been pressed inwardly toward each other. Also at this time the coil spring 26 of the clip is positioned between the cars 23 of the upper jaw member with the opening through the spring aligned with the openings 24 in said ears. One end of the coil spring 26 extends rearwardly and engages the inner side of the thumb portion 25 and this engagement acts to properly locate the spring in the position referred to. The other end of the spring 26 bears against the bottom of the lower jaw member 10.

When the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 4 the ears 18 and 19 of the lower jaw member are pressed inwardly until the integral displaced portions 20 thereof pass through the openings 24 and extend into the coils of the spring 26 as clearly indicated in Pig. 5. Consequently the upper and lower jaw members are pivotally connected together by the portions 20 in the openings 24 and also said portions 20 act as a support for the spring 26 and prevent its displacement.

It. will thus be seen that the electrical connecting clip embodying the present invention is of very simple construction and consists of only three parts which can be readily assembled and in the assembly operation there is no necessity of the difficult insertion of a separate pivot pin. This latter feature is extremely important in connection with small size clips as the small pivot pins are very hard to handle and manipulate due to their diminutiveness and also such pins would have to be locked in position after insertion.

The electrical connecting clip shown in Fig. 6 differs from the previously described clip in that the opposite ends 26a and 26b of the spring 26 are outwardly turned to pass through openings in the upper jaw member 11 and lower jaw member 10.

Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been illustrated and described herein it will be understood that the invention is susceptible of various modiv 3 fications and adaptations within the scope of the appended claims. a

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An electrical connecting clip comprising upper and lower members of oppositely facing channel formation and having at one end thereof cooperating jaw portions and intermediate their ends on the opposite side walls thereof integral parallel ears, the ears of one member extending inside and between the ears of the other member, the ears of said one member being provided with aligned openings while the ears of said other member have inwardly displaced integral portions extending into said openings and pivotally connecting said members together, and a coil spring extending between the ears of said one member with the convolutions thereof aligned with the openings in the ears of said one member and receiving the said displaced integral portions of said ears or" the other member with said portions acting to hold said spring in proper operative position between said members, one end of said spring being extended into engagement with one of said members and the other end of said spring being extended into the other of said members.

2. An electrical connecting clip as defined in claim 1 and wherein said one member is provided at its end opposite to its jaw portion with a thumb engaging portion while said coil spring has one of its opposite ends extending within the channel of said one member and contacting at its end the wall of said thumb portion whereby said coil spring can be properly located in said one member'between the ears thereof and in alignment with the openings in said ears tofacilitate the assembly of the two members.

3. An electrical connecting clip as defined in claim 1 and wherein said members intermediate the side walls thereof are provided with openings while said coil spring has its opposite ends extended and bent to pass through said openings.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS France Oct. 30, 1942 

